Using Windows 3.15 with a LaserJet Printer and Novell LAN Installing Japanese Windows Question: Last week I bought Japanese Windows3.1, but I worry about trying to install it because Idon't read much Japanese. Is there anything special I should know before I start? The great thing about Windows 3.15 is that it is surprisingly similar technically to the English-language version. Windows 3.1J is compatible with most English-language Windows applications and drivers, and it uses the same TrueType technology that was introduced in English-language Windows 3.1. This means that Japanese kanji TrueType fonts can be printed on any printer that can handle TrueType fonts from English-language Windows. Since you haven't installed your Win 3.15 yet, let's start right from the beginning. Using Windows 3.15 implies that you have DOS/V on your computer. (This isn't an absolute requirement--see "Don't Try This in the Office, Kids!" but it's certainly easier and safer.) You should have at least a 2S-MHz 386 (or, preferably, a 486 or Pentium) with a minimum of 8MB of RAM; anything less will be unbearably slow when you run Win 3.15. You should also have 40MB of free hard disk space, a VCA monitor, and currently be using DOS 5.0 or later (an English-language version). If you are not already using Japanese DOS/V, the first step is to install it. The installation process is relatively straightforward, and it is unlikely that anything will go wrong, but as with any important step you should be sure to first back up your data. When the backup is complete, delete all the files from your (English) DOS subdirectory. Boot up (by pressing the reset button) from the DOS/V install diskette, and follow the standard installation routine to load the DOS/V files onto the hard disk. This basically entails telling the program to install to the hard disk, which keyboard you are using, whether or not you want amouse driver installed, and how you want the memory to be handled. It is probably best to choose the defaults suggested by the program. (Don't worry; even if you can't read the screens, the procedure is simple. Just press the "Enter" key at each prompt. If you're the worrying type, ask a Japanese friend to stand by.) When DOS/V is up and running, install Japanese Windows. Follow the same procedure that you would when installing the English version. One very important caution: If you already have an English-language version of Windows installed, take care that you do not accidentally overwrite any of the English Windows files with Japanese Windows files of the same name. If you overwrite existing files, neither version will work; you'll have to re-install both. Obviously your Japanese Windows directory should have a different name than your English Windows directory. You might name it, for example, JWINDOWS. Also, make sure that the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file points to only one of the Windows directories; including both could cause problems. If you use English Windows most often, one suggestion would be to include the English Windows directory in the path statement, and manually switch to the JWINDOWS directory before running Japanese Windows. Another important point during installation: To avoid conflicts, do not attempt to use the same swap file for the two versions of Windows. Rather than take the extra disk space for two permanent swap files (or risk corrupting either one), it may be best to use a temporary swap file for each. Once the Win 3.15 installation process is done, although you may not be able to read the kanji, rest assured that virtually everything on the desktop is the same as for the English-language version. Printing Japanese on an HP LaserJet Question: When I installed Japanese Windows 3. 1, I discovered that it doesn't have a printer driver for my HewlettPackard Laserlet Ill. Is there arty way I can printJaeancse on my LaseuJet, or will I have to buy another printer? It is indeed possible to print Japanese ideographs (kanji) on a LaserJet-bbut you'll have to use the printer drivers from the English version of Windows to do so. Start the Japanese Windows and go to the Control Panel. Insert the English-language Windows printer drivers diskette, double-click the Printers icon, and select "Add" and then "install." Choose the first item in the list of available printer drivers (which says "Unlisted printer"), then select the appropriate LaserJet printer driver from the disk. The necessary additions to your WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files will be made automatically. Your LaserJet is now ready to print kanji. To test your success, try entering some Japanese text in the Windows Write program, and print it. The printer will handle the page in hands, reproducing high-quality TrueType kanji fonts. Resolution is particularly important with kanji, since the characters can be very complicated and contain many fine strokes. These are more difficult to distinguish at low resolutions. A 300-dpi LaserJet II will produce adequate output, but it will not give you as clean a printout. For the best quality printing, I recommend a 600-dpi printer, such as the HP LaserJet IV. To speed printing, it is also a good idea to load the printer up with as much RAM as possible. The LaserJet IV likes at least 8MB. There are two caveats to remember about using a LaserJet with Japanese Windows. First, because the drivers you have loaded are from English-language Windows and are not designed to handle Japanese printing, you may have an occasional problem (such as receiving an application error or having Windows "hang"). On most systems though, such problems are rare. Officially, Microsoft does not support this exchange of drivers between language versions. Unofficially though, it seems to be an accepted work around. Also, expect problems if you happen to chose a bit-mapped font rather than a TrueType font when entering Japanese text. Windows 3.13 comes with only two standard Japanese TrueType fonts; if these don't meet your needs, buy some additional third-party TrueType fonts from other suppliers, such as Ricoh. Using Japanese Windows on US-Version Novell NetWare Question: In order to satisfy the computing needs of our Japanese staff, I am faced with the challenge of installing Japanese Windows on our US-version Novell network. When I installed Windows 3.1J it did not seem to support Englishlanguage NetWare. Is it possible to configure Windows 3.1J so that it recognizes English-language NetWare? As you've discovered, Windows 3.15 does not support Novell NetWare straight out of the box. Don't despair, though, because configuring it to recognize the network is relatively easy. To enable Windows 3.15 to work on a Novell network, you need five additional files: VIPX.386, VNETWARE.386, NETWARE.DR~ NETWARE.HL% and NWPOPUP.EXE. These can usually be found in the English-language version of Windows 3.1, or on your workstation driver diskettes supplied by Novell. To set up Windows 3.15 for use with Novell NetWare, first copy these five files to your Windows 3.1J SYSTEM directory. Then, use your favorite text editor (or the Windows SYSEDIT.EXE program) to make the following modifications to the SYSTEM.INI and the WIN.INI files in your Windows directory. SYSTEM.INI Changes You need to tell Windows to load the NetWare User Tools on startup. To do this, find the line network.drv= in the [boot] section, and change it to network.drv=netware.drv Windows setup should also be notified which NetWare device version is being used. To do this, find the line network.drv= in the [boot.description] section, and change it to network.drv= Noveil NetWare (vx.xx) where x.xx is the version number of your network (for example v3.26). This is just for reference, so the exact wording doesn't matter. You must next specify the type of network device used in Enhanced mode. To do this, locate the line network= in the [386Enhj section and change it to network=vnetware.386, vipx.386 WIN.INI change Only one change is needed in the WIN.INI file. Find the line load= in the [windows] section, and change it to load=nwpopup.exe This will start the NetWare User Tools application and run it as an icon when Windows is loaded. Note that this process is exactly the same as that for manually configuring English-language Windows to run on Novell. Assuming that you have properly loaded the NetWare shells and LAN drivers, you should see your network in Windows the next time it is started up. Need help with a hardware, software, or systems problem? If you have a question for the Help Desk -- whether about UNIX, Mac, Windows, or DOS--send your letter to CJ Help Desk by fax (03 3447-4925) or-mail (COMPJAPAN@TWICS. COM). Andre' Sevigny, Vice President of LINC Computer, Inc., has been providing bilingual integration services to multinational companies in Japan for four years. MICROSOFT SUPPORT CENTER If you have specific questions about Windows or DOS/V, you may want to contact the Microsoft Support Center. The Official User Support number for Windows is 03-5454-2330, and that for MS-DOS 6.0/6.2 is 03-5454-2339 (call weekdays 9:30-12:00, 1:00-5:30). To get the user support numbers for other Microsoft products, contact the Information Center at 03-5454-2300, fax 03-5454-7951. Don't Try This in the Office, Kids! Three things worth noting as arcane information, even though no one in his right mind would do such things. -Windows 3.1J can be made to start up in the English mode of DOS/V Doing so will cause you to lose the Japanese file-handling features, however. (And without that, why use Japanese Windows anyway?) Also, because many of the Windows "group" files are named with two-byte Japanese characters, these will not load at startup. -Having more time on my hands than money or disk space, I can testify from hard experience that Windows 3.15 will work (more or less--mostly less) on an English-only DOS system. DOS/V is needed to install Windows 3.15, but not to run it. The process involves booting from a DOS/V floppy in order to install Japanese Windows, then replacing the Japanese WIN.COMfile with the English WIN.COM. -Most English-language Windows applications will also run in Windows 3.15, alleviating the need to have both versions of Windows on your system if you are short of disk space. Some English-language applications can even be used to display and input Japanese kanji. Since English programs are not two-byte enabled, though, the kanji code at the end of a line is sometimes split into two bytes of gibberish.-JOHN DRAKE